Looking Back
by Lila Kooks
Summary: Martha finds some photo albums that reveal The Doctor's past through photographs.  Will she get him to talk more about it openly?  Read to find out!
1. To The Library

1_This story takes place after "Family of Blood", in between that episode and just before "Blink." There will be references to various companions, episodes, and other shows. I do not own Doctor Who,_

_or its characters, or Star Trek, and any of its characters. _

Martha couldn't sleep.

It's only been hours since they've just returned to the TARDIS, after saying goodbye to Tim

Latimer and Joan Redfern. She felt relieved to be back in the TARDIS, travelling in the time vortex

again, not back in 1913, sleeping in a cold, spartan room, in a single bed that had a lumpy mattress.

Out of habit, she rubbed her hands, feeling how rough they became after hours of hard, back-breaking work as a maid at Farringham School. Even after repeatedly applying some lotion to her hands, they were

still rough and calloused.

Martha laid on her back in her warm, dark bedroom, the mattress not lumpy enough for her, the

bed too big for her. She got used to the small, narrow bed back in 1913, so in spite of being tired,

Martha couldn't sleep. She looked around her room, and in spite of her insomnia, felt happy to be

back in the luxurious room the TARDIS created for her. She felt glad to be wearing a cami tank

and matching PJ bottoms again--not a cotton gown covering her from the neck down (she kept

tripping on the hem, much to her annoyance).

Giving up on sleep altogether, Martha got up, and out of bed, grabbing her dressing gown off

of a chair. Slipping on some slipeprs, and putting on her dressing gown, she went in search for

something to help her sleep. Pausing momentarily to tie her dressing gown shut, she made her way

to the kitchen.

She peered into the kitchen, to see if The Doctor was there, but he wasn't. Satisfied she was

alone, she walked in, filled a metal kettle with water, and turned on the stove to heat it. While it was

heating, she felt her stomach rumble. Remembering there were some cookies in a jar on the counter,

she took a handful, and munched on some while she waited for the water to boil. A few minutes later,

she left the kitchen with a steaming mug of tea, and a handful of chocolate chip cookies.

She reached her bedroom door, but she didn't stop there. Halfway there, she realized she

needed a book. She loved to read, especially before bedtime. She remembered, with a smile, that when she was a kid, she would always be found asleep with a book in her hands. "Bookworm," she was teasingly called by her family. _There is nothing wrong with being a bookworm_, she thought to herself as she made her way to the library. She just hoped her tea wouldn't get cold before she got there.

The TARDIS was kind enough to help her get to the library sooner than she hoped. Before

Martha knew it, the library door was right in front of her. Stopping herself before she could crash

into it, teacup and all, she looked and recognized the old fashioned wooden door. Silently thanking

the wonderful old ship, she walked in. Again, she noticed, in the reading area, that he wasn't there.

Relieved he wasn't here either, Martha set her cup of tea and cookies down on a side table, and went

perusing the shelves for a good book to read.

Frowning to herself, she couldn't find a book she hasn't already read. Several shelves yielded books in alien languages, which Martha was not interested in reading. Medical texts and cultural texts about various alien species cluttered dusty shelves, threatening to fall if Martha touched them. Not wanting a dusty mess on her hands, she made her way to the back of the modest library. Here she found

more alien books, some which were on metal tablets not dissimilar to PDAs, or on crystal tablets.

Frowning, Martha crouched down, and several thick, leatherbound books caught her eye. Curious, Martha pulled one of them from the shelf, and blew the dust off of it. She saw the words "Photo Album" in

gilded letters. Her curiosity growing, she put it down and pulled out another, which was the same,

except it was red instead of brown. Picking up the brown and red leatherbound photo albums, she

carried the heavy volumes back to the leather armrest chair. She dropped the albums onto a small table

on the opposite side of the leather chair, with a small _thud!_ Brushing the dust off of her dressing

gown and hands, she sat down on the leather armchair, took the brown photo album, and opened it.


	2. Brown Album

1Staring back at her, in the first photo, was a girl, in her teens. The picture was black and white,

and the girl was in a formal pose, like a school photo. She is dressed plainly, in nondescript clothing,

which didn't seem to complement her stunning, innocent beauty. The next picture was of her with an

old man, dressed in a dark suit, white shoulder lengthed hair brushed back, standing next to her, looking

like he didn't want to be there. He had an arm wrapped around her shoulders. The next photo revealed

the girl with two adults. Martha thought at first they were her parents, but she read the caption underneath: "Susan and her teachers Barbara and Ian."

Martha flipped through page after page of photos, seeing the old man with the girl Susan

again and again, in different places, although most of the photos were taken in England. Some were

posed, some were candid shots. There was one of the old man working at a console of what appeared

to be a control room. Martha felt a smile twitch onto her face realizing that the old man was The Doctor,

and that he didn't realize at that moment someone took a photo of him. She saw another photo of

The Doctor with the girl again, this time smiling with Susan. "Who is this Susan?" she said to herself,

feeling a pang of jealousy towards the mysterious girl.

"She was my granddaughter," The Doctor replied. Martha jumped, gasping in surprise. She looked towards the door, and saw The Doctor standing there, with a stern look on his face. Martha straightened, managing to look embarrassed. The Doctor made his way towards her. "Couldn't sleep?"

Martha shook her head. "Was only looking for something to read, and found these..." she gestured towards the other album, bound in rich dark red leather. The Doctor's face softened somewhat. He reached her side, and looked at one of the opened pages. A strange look came over his expressive face, a look of nostalgia. He looked back at Martha, who was watching him the whole time. Knowing what happens next, The Doctor pulled up a matching chair, gently pushed the side table with her cooling tea and cookie, aside, and sat down next to Martha. Impulsively, he grabbed one of the cookies and started munching on it. He leaned over to his left, to be able to see the pictures better. "I haven't looked at these pictures in a few centuries.." he mused, absently brushing dust off some of the pages, making Martha sneeze. "Bless you," he said without looking up. He stared at a picture of Susan, looking more mature, smiling back from the past. He ran his fingers lightly over her face, slowly, frowning slightly.

"She's your granddaughter?" Martha was a bit shocked. She knew he was old, but it never

occurred to her how old he was. He nodded, "She travelled with me, with her two teachers here," he

gestured to a picture of Barbara and Ian. "They followed her back here to the TARDIS one day, because

she was unusually smart for a girl her age. They became my companions, but they went back to their

time..." he grew silent, staring at the photos, the memories haunting him from the past. Martha was

staring at a picture of The Doctor, as that old man. She looked at him, the way he is now--young, handsome, a boyish charm his former self lacked. "How did you go from looking like that, to how you are now?" The Doctor glanced at her, "It's a process, called 'Regeneration'. It happens before or when I die. When it happens, my body changes, every cell," he paused as he looked at his former self, "I was getting old, and I had such a hard time moving about..." Martha recalled for a moment, her own grandfather, and nodded. They flipped a page, and the black and white photos were no more. Colorful pictures replaced them as they flipped the pages. Martha stopped at a picture containing a holopic of a ruthless yet beautiful woman, "Who is that?" The Doctor frowned, his jaw tightening. Martha watched his expression change, waiting patiently for him to answer. After a few moments, he finally answered, "Her name was Sara Kingdom. She was the first of my companions to die while traveling with me.." "Why? What happened?" Martha asked before thinking, realizing as she asked, that she shouldn't have. The Doctor blinked back tears, and managed to have fought them down, "A...machine called 'The Time Destructor'. She was in its field and turned to dust after aging rapidly." Matha's eyes widened, "Oh.." As if speaking to himself, he murmured, "She was..such a cheeky woman. But she was loyal."

The Doctor took a deep breath, and slowly sighed. He took another bite of his cookie, and Martha

noticed, "Oy! That's my cookie!" The Doctor popped the rest of it in his mouth, "Not anymore," he mumbled. He grinned, showing bits of the chocolate chip cookie. Martha pretended to look disgusted, but grinned back nonetheless. She rolled her eyes, "You're as bad as Leo!" The Doctor laughed, and swallowed his mouthful. Martha couldn't help but join him, and offered her plate of cookies. He took another one, thanking her silently. Still smiling, Martha turned a page, looking over pictures of unfamiliar faces. "Why do you have these, Doctor?" His smiled faded a bit, "Oh, Susan and Barbara started these. Susan was surprised at how I never kept albums. I told her I didn't have the time. So she and Barbara started taking photos, started this very album here.." He smiled, a paternal smile, surprising Martha for the second time. She glanced down at a photo of The Doctor with a man that reminded her of Spock, and she saw the old man in the man sitting next to her. "After that, I just kept going, with the help of the others, of course," he added as he handed Martha a cookie. She accepted, taking a bite out of it, realizing she was hungry. He turned the page, and pointed to a girl dressed in red, "Now, this is Dorothea Chaplet. We called her 'Dodo'." Martha munched on her cookie, listening to The Doctor talk about his various companions. He passed her the cup of tea she made earlier, and she sipped as he continued.

Eventually, she felt herself drift, her eyelids getting heavy, listening to The Doctor's voice, soothing her, making her relax.

Then, without warning, she yawned, interrupting him. He stopped, and smiled softly,

"Getting sleepy?" Martha nodded, "It's your fault. With that soothing voice of yours.." He chuckled softly, "Go on then. Off to bed with you." He gently took the album from her, and she stood up. She stretched, then turned to leave. She paused at the door, and looked back at him, looking through the album. She hesitated for a second, "Doctor?" The Doctor peered at her over his glasses, "Hmm?" Martha turned slightly back towards him, "Could we continue this later?" The Doctor nodded, "Alright. Goodnight, Martha." Martha smiled, and replied, "Goodnight, Doctor." With that, she went to bed, leaving The Doctor with his memories.


End file.
